


Eccedentesiast

by FrostyGalaxies



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: 1st year, Because I’m combining my two hyper fixations into something awful, Eventual Barry Bluejeans/Lup - Freeform, F/M, Harry Potter AU, I’ll add more tags as they come up, M/M, Mention of abuse, Taz but it’s Harry Potter, but hey, eventual Taako/Kravitz - Freeform, if you like hp and taz then it’s the fic for you, its not very graphic though so don’t worry, slowburn baby, so like sorry bout that, this is a very niche fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23297464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrostyGalaxies/pseuds/FrostyGalaxies
Summary: Eccedentesiast (Noun.)Someone who hides pain behind a smile
Relationships: Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone), Lup & Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	1. Prolouge

St. Anne’s Orphanage was a bustling hub of noise and general commotion in the mornings. Kids of all ages were waking up and making breakfast, checking the cork-board for their days chores and laughing with their friends. Taako still lay in bed, his blanket drawn up over his head and pillow thrown haphazardly onto the floor. His sleep the evening before had been restless as always, though luckily he hadn’t been woken up by a nightmare this time. 

“Ko Koooooo!” He heard a voice call. Taako groaned and pulled the blanket up over his head, trying his best to ignore the voice of his sister as she tried to rouse him from his sleep. “You gotta get up!” There was a pause then as neither of the twins said anything, and then, without warning, the blanket was ripped off of Taako’s tired figure with a flourish.

“Lup!” Taako yelled, sitting upright now and glaring at his twin as she stuck her tongue out at him. 

“C’mon, sleepyhead,” Lup teased, pulling Taako out of bed and throwing a bundle of clothes at him. “Get changed and then we can go down to breakfast,” she told him, stepping out of the room as Taako threw on the clothes she tossed him. A pair of black ripped jeans, a plain pink tee-shirt, and a grey hoodie. 

After getting changed, Taako stepped out of the room to join Lup as they headed down to breakfast. Arriving in the kitchen, Taako opened the fridge and pulled out four eggs while Lup pulled out a frying pan, started the stove and began to heat the pan up. She moved over to the fridge to pull out some cheese and deli ham while Taako went ahead and started whisking the eggs to scramble. Working in sync, their scrambled-eggs-for-two were done in nearly no time and tasted wonderfully.

They ate in relative silence, listening to the bustle of their house mates going about their days. Taako couldn’t even begin to explain how much he hated the people here. There was so little respect for him and even less for his sister. The only people who seemed to tolerate the two of them were Anne, the headmistress of the orphanage, and Killian, a girl just a year older than the twins. 

Killian was a larger girl, easily taller than both Taako and Lup, rowdy, and she started at some strange boarding school last year that Taako had never heard of before. Some place called Pig-Farts or something. Killian had returned from school seeming very happy with how things were there, but whenever Taako or Lup tried to ask her about it she’d never give them a concrete answer, always avoiding or dodging the question in some way. Taako had sneaked a look in her trunk but only found textbooks on charms? Transfiguration? He had no idea what any of that was so he shrugged and closed the trunk telling Lup that there was only a bunch of “nerd books” inside. Though he was still incredibly curious. 

“Lup, Taako,” a voice called as the two were washing their dishes, both turned to face the voice and saw, standing in the doorway, Killian smiling by her side and three letters in her hands, headmistress Anne Crowley. “If you two will come with me and Killian please, there’s something we need to discuss with you.”

Taako shot a wary look at Lup as they put their clean dishes away and followed closely behind Anne and Killian. Lup’s hand found Taako’s as they walked and he squeezed it back tightly, unsure what this discussion would hold but fearing the worst nonetheless. 

Anne’s office was cluttered and bright. The walls were a simple bright grey and littered with calendars and posters and photos of all sorts. There were two windows, each letting in a large bit of light and with disturbingly orange curtains which were drawn open. Anne gestured first the three kids to take a seat in the uncomfortable chairs in front of her desk as she sat in her own spinning desk chair with a rather pleased expression on her face. 

“Your letters from school came in today,” she said, wasting no time in getting to the point as normal. Killian smiled wider at this news while Taako and Lup exchanged confused looks with each other. Faerün Public Middle didn’t send out letters. Anne handed each kid in front of her a letter sealed with an elegant wax seal and addressed in lovely emerald green ink. Killian opened hers immediately, beginning to pour over the contents with earnest.

“School?” Taako asked, examining the letter but not yet opening it. Lup was staring at hers in awe. 

“Yes,” Anne supplied, addressing the twins now, “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It’s a school of magic up in Scotland where tons of young witches and wizards go to get their education. Killian started there last year and I myself am a graduate.” 

“Wait, what? Magic? You’re kidding right?” Taako continued on, not believing a word Anne was saying for a second. Magic was something out of fairytales, it wasn’t real this was obviously some ploy to kick him and his sister out for something they’d done and Taako was sure of it. 

“She’s not kidding, Ko,” Killian reinforced, I went there last year and you should see the castle! It’s huge! And all the professors are wicked fun and eccentric. Especially the herbology Professor, Merle Highchurch. He’s also my Head of House!” Taako blinked at her in disbelief. Lup was still staring at her letter. “They dont believe us, Ms. Crowley,”

Anne just smiled and Taako watched as she pulled a long stick from somewhere in her desk. He looked at it dubiously but found himself gaping as Anne pointed it at a piece of paper on her desk and swished it, causing the paper to rise steadily into the air. He elbowed Lup in the ribs and she finally looked up exclaiming “bloody hell!” as she too noticed the very apparent use of magic before their eyes. 

“Killian can tell you all you need to know about the school and the teachers, should you have any other questions just come to me. We’ll get your supplies later in the week,” Anne said, ushering the three out of her office. “Oh and one more thing,” Taako and Lup turned again to face her, “you must not tell any of the other kids about this. It is of vital importance that they remain none the wiser about your magic.”


	2. A Destiny Too Large

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this is going up a week early cuz I’ve developed quite the backlog for this already, and also I figure we could all use a new chapter for our fics in these confusing times :)

The trip to Diagon Alley had been so full of wonder and magic that Taako could scarcely keep the smile off of his face as he, Lup, Killian and Anne wandered the streets looking for all their new supplies. It felt almost like something out of a dream. 

They had to get most of their things second hand as money was tight, but Taako still was buzzing with excitement and anticipation. They stopped in Flourish and Blotts to get their books, got their potions ingredients and materials from the apothecary, and bought some second hand robes from Madame Malkins before finally getting to the part Taako was most excited about: getting his very own wand. 

The wand shop was dimly lit and crowded, there were odds and ends flying around and the shelves were rearranging themselves. Anne walked up to the counter and rang the service bell. 

“Hello?” She called out, “Mr. Ollivander?”

“Just a moment!” Someone, Ollivander, Taako assumed, called back from somewhere in the store. Taako took this chance to gaze around the room further, there was a large bay window at the front of the shop, piled high with books and other junk. He stepped closer to Lup, suddenly feeling very small in the clutter of this room. Lup turned to face him, her eyes alight with wonder and excitement and took his hand in hers. 

They waited a moment longer and then suddenly there were footsteps coming closer from the back of the shop. A very old, very brittle looking man came into view, his hair was white and whispy and hung around his head in a manner very reminiscent of a dandelion. 

“Ah, Anne Crowley, Redwood, 10”, flexible with a Phoenix feather core, yes I remember it well, how is that wand of yours?” The man asked in a voice quite hoarse but still full of life. 

“Freshly polished,” Anne answered, pulling her wand out and showing it to the man who nodded and caught sight of Killian who hung near Anne’s left shoulder. 

“Mm, Killian, it was vinewood, 10 3/4” pliant with a dragon heartstring core. A magnificent wand indeed, and how has it served you last year?” 

“It was great, sir!” Killian replied, a smile in her voice as well as in her face. Ollivander smiled and nodded his head jerkily before turning to now rest his pale blue eyes on the twins. 

“Ah,” he said, “and who have we here?” 

“Lup and Taako Taaco, sir,” Lup answered cheerfully, letting go of Taako’s hand and moving to bow deeply and theatrically. Taako, who was feeling rather uncomfortable in this place, attempted his best curtsy. Ollivander smiled at their dramatic display and beckoned them forward. Lup was the one who stepped up, a slight bounce to her movements. 

Ollivander said “hold out your wand arm please,” as he rummaged around at his desk for a moment and pulled out a tape measure which began to take all sorts of measurements in the most unlikely places, between Lup’s eyes, the distance from her nose to her chin, all kinds of absurd places that Taako didn’t really think were very necessary. 

Lup stood with her right arm out as she watched Ollivander grab boxes and then put them back before eventually grabbing one and returning to their group. 

“That’s enough,” he said and the tape measure immediately stopped measuring and fell down onto Ollivander’s desk. Ollivander placed the long box on the desk and opened it, pulling out a light colored wand and holding it out to Lup. “12 inches, Yew, unicorn hair core, reasonably springy flexibility. Go on, give it a wave!” 

Lup reached for the wand and, an excited gleam in her eyes, waved it a little. Immediately, a miniature explosion was set off on one of the opposite shelves. Lup flinched in on herself as Ollivander pulled the wand out of her grasp.

“No! No! Definitely not!” He said, placing the wand back into its box and moving to grab a new one. 

The next two wands Lup tried were both determined to not be the right fit for Lup, who was beginning to look a bit frustrated with this lack of progress as Ollivander went further toward the back of the shop. 

Lup turned to face the room again, a look of dismay on her face at how long this was taking. Taako knew his sister and he knew she liked to live fast paced, so to keep getting the wrong wand must have been a punch in the gut for her. 

“Hey, don’t worry!” Killian supplied, seeming to take note of her frustration as well, “I had to go through seven wands before we got to mine.” The sentiment seemed to lift Lup’s spirits some, and a small smile crept onto her face. 

“Really?” She questioned, head tilted to the side a little from curiosity. 

“Oh, it was dreadful, poor Ollivander’s wand shop had never looked worse.” Anne mused, shaking her head so her long auburn hair moved down her back in smooth ripples. 

A moment later Ollivander returned with one more wand, and Taako could swear he saw a glint of something akin to triumph in his eyes. This was it. This was the one, Taako could feel it. 

“Try this,” Ollivander instructed, handing the wand to Lup. When she grabbed the handle, nothing seemed to happen, but Taako smiled. This wand just felt right to him, and Ollivander and Lup clearly thought so too because smiles were creeping over their faces as well.

Lup waved the wand, and the lamp she had damaged in an earlier attempt repaired itself seamlessly. Everyone in the room cheered and Ollivander said “oh, excellent! That wand will be a powerful thing. 11 3/4”, supple flexibility, vine wood and a phoenix feather core. Very powerful indeed. Use it well.” He nodded to her and Lup stepped back to rejoin the rest of the group, a beaming smile on her face. Ollivander then beckoned Taako over and he stepped forward with a little more uncertainty. 

Ollivander took the tape measure out once more and it began measuring Taako this time, causing the young boy to feel rather awkward. Though maybe the uncomfortableness he felt had something to do with all the eyes on him.

It felt like an eternity before Ollivander came back and handed him the first wand to try. It felt odd in his hand as Taako gripped it, not bad, just odd. Like it was almost the right one, but something wasn’t quite right about it. Ollivander seemed to feel the same way, because before Taako even had the chance to wave it, he had grabbed it out of his hand and replaced it back in its box. 

“No, I thought for sure that would be the one, but something wasn’t quite right with it.” Taako guessed he was mostly murmuring to himself, but he still shifted uncomfortably at the words. The few minutes Ollivander was gone to find Taako another wand to try felt like torture. He was so nervous he thought he might implode. But a moment later he felt a comforting hand on his back and turned to see Lup smiling at him. 

“The next one will be it, I can just feel it Ko Ko!” She said, confidence and conviction dripping from her voice so forcefully that Taako felt himself becoming more confident by the second. 

“Yeah, natch,” he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Anne and Killian rolled their eyes, but Lup smiled even wider, seemingly able to tell that he wasn’t as sure as he sounded. 

When Ollivander returned once more a moment later, the lights in the shop seemed to dim ever so slightly, and an air of seriousness flooded the room. Taako felt his mouth go dry. 

“I wonder,” Ollivander muttered, eyeing both the wand that he held and Taako curiously. “I’ve never made a wand this curious before, I wonder if, perhaps, it will favor you?” Taako blinked up at him, expecting Ollivander to hold out the wand for Taako to try, but he continued to hold onto it, seemingly not done with his thought. “Elder wood and a hair from the tail of a Thestral. A most curious combination indeed. It is not, however, the same as the fabled Elder Wand, a wand of the same make, but it is indeed curious. 

Should you be destined for this wand, I sense great things in your future. It will be difficult, no doubt, but oh yes, I sense great things indeed. Go ahead, try it.” He handed Taako the wand. 

The moment his small hand grasped its handle, the wand sent a stream of pale blue sparks dancing in the air. Taako didn’t know what that meant, but if it meant this was his wand, he wasn’t sure how well he liked the fated destiny of whoever held the wand in his hands. He looked to Ollivander, who regarded him carefully through pale blue eyes. 

“Use it well. You and that wand may be the difference between war and peace.”


	3. Hogwarts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I’m posting this a day early because I’m impatient and oh bOY ITS A LONG ONE

That night Taako found he couldn’t sleep, the excitement of the day still heavy in his mind and the supposed destiny that came with his wand fresh and ever present in the forefront of his mind. He turned onto his back, hoping it would be more comfortable than his stomach, though it only served to wake him up further. 

September first was in three days, and Taako wondered how he’d manage to wait that long. Truth be told he didn’t think that was remotely possible. He’d spent eleven years of his life not knowing magic existed and that he was capable of doing magic, that he didn’t think he could wait a moment longer without the presence of something magical happening. It was then that he realized that he had actually experienced magic before, he just didn’t realize it at the time. 

When he and Lup were still in that awful house with their father, he had come home drunk one night and started yelling to whoever would listen. Taako had been terrified that his father would take to the fire poker and start his usual barrage of burns on each of the twins that for some strange reason, whenever Mathias Taaco would approach them, whatever he was holding would fly out of his hands. At the time Taako had been too upset to question it, but now that he thought of it, he was certain that that just had to be either his or Lup’s magic manifesting in some way. 

As though on queue, a rustling sound came from the bed next to him and Taako turned his head in the direction. Green eyes met identical green eyes in the dark of the room and a question seemed to pass through the air. No words were needed as Taako nodded and smiled, scooting over a little as Lup got up and climbed into his bed with him. They sat in silence for a while, and Taako was almost certain Lup had fallen asleep when she asked “are you scared?” 

The question caught him off guard. Was he scared? He didn’t think so, at least not yet, anyway. He’d probably describe the twisting in his tummy as his usual bout of nerves. 

“Mm, not really. I’d say I’m more anxious than anything else.” He told her, a slight smile on his face for reassurance. Lup smiled back. 

“I’m scared.” She told him. “What if people find out about me? I was reading in Hogwarts: A History earlier that the stairs to the girls' dorms in most of the House common rooms turn into a slide if a boy steps on them. What if I try to go to the girls dorms and they turn into a slide?! Taako I don’t know what I’ll do!” The fear and panic in her voice as she whisper-yelled was so potent you could almost feel it in the air. Taako reached out and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

“I’m sure they won’t, Lu Lu.” He said, giving her shoulder a squeeze, “and I’m sure we could get Anne to write to the school and ask about it.” 

His attempt at reassurance seemed to work, because Lup visibly relaxed at that. Though Taako could tell there was something else on her mind that she wanted to talk about.

“Taako?”

“Yeah, Lu?”

“...nothing. Never mind. Goodnight,” 

Taako frowned at her refusal to voice whatever it was she was going to say, but he knew better than to pry. If she wanted to tell him she’d tell him. 

“Night, Lup.” He said instead, just a moment too late to be normal, but if Lup noticed she didn’t say anything.

—

Three days later, Taako and Lup along with Killian and Anne arrived at King’s Cross Station, armed with their trunks full of all their school books and robes and tickets to a platform Taako was fairly certain didn’t exist. The group didn’t speak much as they started towards platforms 9 and 10. Taako glanced down at the ticket in his hand which read ‘Platform 9 3/4’ then back up to the approaching brick wall.

On either side of the wall hung a sign with that platform number, but neither read the same as the one on the paper in Taako’s hand. He chanced a glance at Lup and found her staring at the platforms also, the same look of confusion in her eyes. 

“Alright,” Anne said as they came to the brick wall, “Killian you go first, show these two what they’re to do.”

Killian nodded and said: “ok, Taako, Lup, all you gotta do is walk right into the wall, you’re not going to hit it, if it’s working correctly you should come right out onto Platform 9 3/4. Like this.”

Without another word, Killian started toward the barrier at a slight run. Taako rubbed his eyes, sure that he was seeing things. One moment she was there and then he blinked and she was gone. Was that how it was supposed to work?

“Alright, you two next, c’mon!” Anne said cheerfully, giving each twin a light push in the direction of the barrier. Taako swallowed hard, nerves building up in the pit of his stomach. He thought he heard Lup mutter something under her breath, but the next moment she was taking off at a run and then, poof, she was gone too. “You ok, Taako?” Anne asked, and Taako nodded before stealing all the courage he had in him and running full force into the wall. 

He didn’t collide. 

Instead, he opened his eyes to see a large gleaming scarlet steam engine. He could feel his mouth gaping as he moved to join Lup and Killian, Anne appearing behind a moment later as well. 

“This,” Killian said in a grand gesture to the train in front of them, “is the Hogwarts Express!”

On queue, the train whistle blew and a smile spread across Taako’s face as the wonder and majesty of the moment flooded him. The platform was crawling with witches and wizards of all ages. Students were pushing carts with trunks and owls and cats on them. They were catching up with their friends after a long summer apart and saying goodbye to their parents. And there was so much magic! He could see a mom levitate her toddler to keep him from falling when he tripped. He saw a student, probably a 7th year from the looks of him, shoot sparks at his friend who blocked it with some sort of shield spell. 

Taako felt his mouth hanging open as he took in all the sights. He was going to be learning how to do spells like the ones those two kids were doing! How cool was that?! 

“Ok, Killian, can you show those two into the train and sort of tell you what’s going to happen when you get to the school. I’ve gotta get back to the Orphanage but please write to me! I’m going to miss you three,” she pulled the three of them into a hug before saying her goodbyes and turning to walk away. Before she had taken three steps though, Lup suddenly said “oh yeah!” And ran over to her. 

Taako didn’t hear their conversation, but he was pretty sure he could guess what it was about, his own conversation with his sister still fresh as anything in his mind. The question she had almost asked but couldn’t spit out gnawed at the back of his mind with a ferocity he could scarcely comprehend. What had she wanted to say? 

When Lup returned a moment later, looking pleased about something, Killian began to lead them onto the train. As they walked, she explained that once they got to Hogsmead Station, all the first years would travel across the Black Lake in boats with the gamekeeper, Tom Bodett. She explained that after that, the first years would all be sorted into one of the four houses, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin, “I’m in Hufflepuff,” she added as an offhand comment. 

He didn’t know if he should be as scared as he felt about this sorting. Would they have to take a test in front of the whole school? What if they had to prove that they had magic? Taako’s never done any spells before, could they kick you out if you weren’t able to cast a single thing? What if Taako got up in front of the whole school and the headmaster shouted loudly “who let him in here? He has no magic! Get rid of him!” Taako shuddered when the voice presented itself as his fathers and reached down for Lup’s hand, feeling her squeeze back, clearly nervous too. 

They found an empty compartment relatively easy and shoved their trunks under the seats before both plopping down next to the window, so close together that Taako, who had placed himself nearest the window, was crushed between Lup and the train's wall. 

“I’m going to go find Carey, Johanne and Noelle, will you two be ok here?” Killian asked, looking like she was going to go even if they said they wouldn’t be ok. 

“Yeah, ‘course we’ll be ok, natch,” Taako said instead and Killian bid them goodbye before turning and running off down the train corridor. Taako squeezed Lup’s hand tighter, his nerves seeming to catch up to him. 

Lup, noticing this, squeezed his hand back tight enough to hurt, but it was comforting in an odd way. Grounding almost. 

“Hey,” she began, turning to face him more fully. Her voice had taken on that soft tone she used to use to comfort him after their father’s more liberal ‘punishments’. It was soft in the way it only ever was with him, when they were alone. “Aren’t you excited?”

And he was. He was excited because the smile that crept across Lup’s face was infectious and full of a wonder he’d never seen on it before. Excited because he’d get to learn magic - something he had only ever hoped was real. Excited because how could he not be? He’d barely found out he’s a wizard and all the magic he’d already seen was incredible and he had never dreamed of something this wonderful and exciting before!

But he was scared too. Scared because this was new and new things rarely ever worked out of him and Lup. Scared because what if this was all just some elaborate hoax? Set up by some cruel person to make him look like a fool. Scared because just being here, on this train and not in the familiar setting of the school he knew, and the orphanage he knew, was scary. 

“Yeah!” He said instead of voicing his fears, though he knew that Lup could still feel his bubbling anxiety. “I can’t wait to finally learn magic!”

Lup opened her mouth to say something when there was a knock on their compartment door and it slid open uncertainly. Standing in the doorway was a small, dark skinned girl with wild curly hair and a slightly chubby boy with rectangle glasses. The boy, Taako noticed, seemed to be buzzing with nerves. 

“We’re sorry to bother you,” the girl said as the train gave a loud whistle and began to lurch forward and out of the station, “but would you mind if we sat here? Everywhere else is full.” 

“Oh, not at all!” Lup said, a smile plastering on her face. Taako could see that it seemed forced and brittle, but someone who didn’t know Lup as well as he did would never be able to tell. “Me and Taako are in here alone anyway, could do with some company, yeah Ko?” The question wasn’t really meant for him to answer, but she asked anyway and Taako shrugged. 

Lup had always been the friendlier twin, more sociable. People liked Lup, they gravitated toward her like she was some sort of homing beacon. Taako knew he was rude and unpleasant to be around, he was cold and callous and, if he lost his temper, downright cruel. While Lup made friends, she held them at arm's length in a way you wouldn’t notice right away unless you really paid attention to it. Taako didn’t let people in even that much. Period. He couldn’t afford to. He knew the cruelties of the world, and he refused to let himself be hurt by it again.

“Thank you so much!” The girl said, moving into the compartment and sitting on the bench opposite the twins with the chubby boy. “My name is Lucretia and this is Barry.” She introduced, holding her hand out for Lup to shake. 

“Good to meet you two, I’m Lup and this here” she jerked her head in Taako’s direction, “is my brother, Taako.” Taako nodded in greeting, choosing to remain silent rather than say something as fake and superficial as ‘hello, it’s really nice to meet you’. Those were just pointless pleasantries. “Are you in your first years too?”

“Mhm,” Lucretia said while Barry nodded. “Barry and I have known we would come here for years, his mum’s a witch and both my parents are too. They were friends in school so we’ve basically grown up together.”

“Really?” Lup asked, awe lacing her voice.

“Y-yeah,” Barry confirmed a little nervously. Taako got the impression he was always nervous. “What- what about you two?”

Lup thought for a moment and Taako knew she was having trouble figuring out what to say, how much to reveal. Was it safe to tell these two kids something as sensitive as the details of their families? “We never even knew Hogwarts existed until we got our letters.” She said instead. 

“So you’re Muggleborn?” Lucretia asked, curiosity shining in her eyes and expression. “I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to grow up without magic. It sounds awfully boring,” the girl mused, leaning back in her seat.

“Mmm,” Lup simply said. 

Silence flooded the compartment as the finality of that particular conversation dawned on its occupants. Not a comfortable silence either, and Taako could tell everyone else could feel it too from the way Barry fidgeted and Lup clenched her jaw and Lucretia shifted slightly where she sat. 

As the silence dragged on, Taako found himself staring out the window to the rolling Scottish hills beyond. He’d never been on a train before this and the experience so far really wasn’t what he had expected. He’d thought the train would jostle around a bit more, but the ride so far has been nothing but smooth. He supposed there must be some sort of charm or spell doing that. Was everything assisted by magic in the wizarding world? He supposed that would’ve made sense, but why would you need to use magic with something like a bed? Or the floor? Or a piece of paper? Wizards were strange and he’d barely even met one yet.

Anne didn’t use magic for everything, he remembered all of a sudden, she was always doing things without it, the ‘muggle way’ as he’s heard her say a few times since he and Lup found out about magic. He’d had to ask what that meant - mustering up some small amount of courage to even ask had been no mean feat - and Anne had smiled to him kindly before explaining that a muggle was someone who had no magic in their veins. But then she said that wizarding families could have children without magic and those people were called squibs. Taako got a headache just thinking about all the slight nuances. 

“-you Taako?” The sound of his name made him snap back to the other people in the compartment with him. Everyone was staring at him in question, expectation alight in their eyes. Taako took note of a new figure in the cart too. Another boy and another first year by the looks of him. He had red brown hair and was built similarly to Killian.

Taako blinked at the people in the compartment, he hadn’t been paying attention when they started talking again and he had no idea what they just asked him, or even who had asked the question for that matter.

“Uh, sorry,” he mumbled, uncomfortable, “could you repeat the question please?” He hated asking people to repeat things. He hated asking questions in general. 

“We were all just saying how excited we were to get to school,” Lup supplies, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze, “Lucretia just wanted to know if you were too,”

“Pff, yeah, obviously I am? I mean- learning magic is gunna be super rad, who wouldn’t be excited?” He says, with just enough genuine emotion to seem like he wasn’t on the verge of an anxiety attack from the sheer overwhelming information and amount of people that now occupied this one train compartment. He leaned toward Lup and whispered so only she could hear: “who’s the new guy?”

“His name's Magnus,” she supplied back, also whispering. 

“So what House do you think you’ll end up in?” The new guy, Magnus, was saying now. He gazed around at everyone else as he spoke, a smile wide on his face. It must have been infectious because Taako could feel one forming on his face as well. “I’m hoping for Gryffindor! ‘Where dwell the brave at heart’!”

“I don’t think I’d be very good in Uh- in Gryffindor,” Barry stammered, and Taako couldn’t help but agree with him. He’d known the guy for maybe half an hour and he didn’t seem at all very brave or courageous. “If I had to guess I’d say maybe Ravenclaw?” He phrased it as a question. 

“No, yeah, I can definitely see you as a Raven, my dude. You absolutely give off the right nerd vibes for that kind of thing.” Taako said, a grin playing at his face as Lup snorted beside him. Next to Lup, Magnus laughed too and Taako could see a smile work it’s way onto Lucretia’s face. 

“All my family have been in Slytherin,” Lucretia commented, “so that’s probably where I’m headed.” Taako had heard things about Slytherin house, but if Lucretia was an example of the kind of person to get sorted into Slytherin he was curious to know why they seemed to get such a bad wrap. Lucretia herself didn’t seem particularly bothered by the fact that she was probably going to be put in Slytherin. 

“Mm I don’t really care where I end up,” Lup said and Taako didn’t miss the way her eyes flickered over to him for a brief moment as she spoke, “Though Gryffindor sounds rad as hell!” The group turned to look at Taako again and he could feel the vague panic pooling in the pit of his stomach again. He ignored it. 

“I guess Gryffindor doesn’t sound that bad,” he mused with an air of indifference, “though I’d probably be fine with whatever.” He didn’t say that he only really cared that he and Lup stay in the same house. It didn’t matter where he ended up as long as he was with her. That’s how it’s always been and that’s how it’ll always be. 

He slipped into easy conversation as the train continued on its way. 

—

Hours later, the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmead Station and the sound of excitable teenagers resounded even louder than before through the train’s long corridor. Taako peered out the window at all the students piling onto the relatively small platform, most of them seemed to be filing into carriages that Taako guessed were self-pulling as there were no horses attached to them. The rest looked to be headed over in the direction of a large murky lake. The Black Lake, he remembered from his conversation with Killian earlier. The strangest thing to him, however, was the fact that none of them seemed to be carrying their trunks with them. Maybe there was some sort of way that all his, admittedly few, belongings would appear in his new dorm? He supposed that was probably the case but he couldn’t help the doubt that crept into his mind as he and Lup followed the others off the train and onto the platform.

As they stepped out of the train, Taako was immediately confronted with the realization of just how crowded it was and he grabbed Lup’s hand so as to not get separated from her. He followed her lead as she led them over to an older man with long-ish greying hair and a beard that was going white as well. Taako guessed that this must have been the gamekeeper, Tom Bodett. He called out for the remaining first years to converge with him and they stood there waiting for a few more minutes until Tom seemed satisfied and motioned for the first years to follow him.

Taako looked around at the group of students and was mildly surprised to find it so small. He thought that there would for sure be a lot more students but there appeared to only be around forty kids, maybe less. For such a large school you’d think they would have much bigger years than this. Taako also noticed, as he made his cursory look around, that Lup appeared to be keeping them close to both Barry and Lucretia. Or maybe those two were keeping close to them, Taako wasn’t entirely sure but both options seemed entirely possible. He noticed, too, that Magnus appeared to be off making friends with some other students and Taako found a small smile tugging at his face which he quickly suppressed.

“All right!” Tom Bodett announced as they found themselves at the shore of the lake. “No more than four to a boat, c’mon now!” The first years all then piled into the boats, murmuring in excitement and Taako let Lup drag him into the boat that Barry and Lucretia had climbed into. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say that these people already felt like friends. But he did know better, and he also knew that he and Lup didn’t do friends. Getting close to someone like that only gave them more chances to hurt you and use the things you stupidly confessed to them against you down the line and that was a risk the both of them were absolutely not willing to take. So if he had to guess, he would say that Lup was only tailing these two because they seemed to know what was going on better than either of them did, and that was fine by him.

The boats began to move then, after all the first years were inside, and, again, Taako felt that nervousness in his stomach, but this time it was more like anticipation. Not exactly nervous, but also extremely nervous all at the same time. It was a wild contradiction, but Taako had felt like this entire experience so far was, itself, a wild contradiction.

“Oh, I’m so excited!” Lucretia said, her eyes alight as she looked out over the lake for some sign of the castle where they would spend the next ten months. Taako, too, was feeling the excitement. It was like a low buzz or humming in his chest that threatened to burst from his head in ways he wasn’t even sure were possible. His… friends? No, companions was probably a more appropriate title, friends wasn’t a title he handed out lightly and especially not to anyone he's only known for four and a half hours. His companions were all smiling too, so Taako guessed his excitement was mutual.

They rode in relative silence after that, listening to the sound of the boats moving on the lake and the murmurs of the other kids on the boats. Taako kept his eyes peeled, looking for a glimpse of the castle that he’d heard so much about, and he didn’t have to wait much longer either by the exclamations of joy and shock that came from the boats at the front of the group.

Hogwarts Castle was like something out of a fairy tale. It towered several stories high with so many different towers and millions of windows that glowed orange. It’s limestone walls were a gorgeous tan color and Taako found himself holding his breath at the very sight of it. How on Earth had he gotten lucky enough to be able to go to school here? Lup squeezed his hand and he turned to face her, beaming and found his expression mirrored almost perfectly on her face. They were really here. 

A moment later the castle disappeared from sight again as the boats docked under a tunnel obscured by long vines. Everyone tumbled out of the boats at Tom Bodett’s request and followed him up the long pathway up to the school. The doors leading to the Entrance Hall must have been nearly three stories tall, Taako couldn’t fathom why they had to be so big but, then again, almost everything he’d seen of the wizarding world had some measure of grandiosity to it. He didn’t blame anyone for being this over the top, though, he would do the same if he were being honest with himself.

As they entered, Taako could hear loud chatter from inside another set of large doors. Would that be where the sorting was done? Just as he had that thought, a shorter, very stern looking man approached the new students. He had vibrant red hair and a rather impressive moustache, and was wearing deep blue robes with purple accents. Taako thought he looked like a man you didn’t want to cross but knew that he and Lup would end up doing it anyway and as that thought came to him a million different ideas for practical jokes flooded his head and his heart buzzed with anticipation. 

“I am Professor Davenport,” the wizard introduced himself to the students, taking in their mixture of scared and excited faces, “I am Head of Ravenclaw House and i will be your transfiguration teacher while you attend school here. In a moment, I will bring you into the Great Hall where you will be sorted into one of four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. While you are here your House will be like your family, any rule breaking will lose you house points, while your successes will earn you points. The House with the highest number of points at the End of Term Feast will win the honor of winning the House Cup.” He paused and Taako had a moment to look at the faces of those around him. Lucretia wore an expression of anticipation but she also looked slightly like she was going to be sick, Lup just had a fiery gleam in her eyes and Barry looked more nervous than Taako had ever seen him. He spotted Magnus a couple of people away and was entirely unsurprised to see him grinning almost as wide as Lup. “If you’ll follow me,” Davenport said at last, beaconing the students to follow as he led them into the Great Hall.

Once again, Taako felt his breath catch in his throat as the sheer magic of the room he entered nearly knocked him clean off his feet. There were four long tables, each packed full with students sporting black robes with accents of the color House they belong to, and above each of these tables hung large banners displaying the House crest. Another long table stood at the front of the Hall, was what Taako assumed was the Staff Table because there were a bunch of adults up there who Taako guessed would probably be their teachers. Candles hng in the air suspended by nothing and, as Taako looked up to see the candles, he nearly tripped over his own feet when he caught sight of the ceiling. It didn’t appear there was a ceiling there at all, instead was what Taako had at first though was a massive hole opening to the sky outside before he realized it was just an enchantment. Whatever the case, the ceiling was a picture of the cloudless night sky where the moon hung large and nearly full bellied above. 

The students came to a stop in front of the Staff Table, in front of which, sat a rickety looking three legged stool and a very tattered and threadbare hat. Taako looked to Lup in confusion before Davenport stepped right next to the stool and pulled out a scroll.

“When I call your name,” his high voice announced to the now silent Hall, “you will come up and place the Sorting Hat on your head before joining the rest of your new House at their table. Bluejeans, Barry!”

Taako watched as the nervous boy shuffled up to the front of the Great Hall and sat on the tatty stool. He placed the hat on his head and Taako had a vision of the thing suddenly swallowing him whole before a gash towards the brim opened wide like a mouth and souted: “SLYTHERIN!”

The table on the far left erupted in loud cheers and claps while the other tables clapped along politely. Taako clapped too and smirked at the relief he saw flood Barry’s face as he was able to escape from the spotlight. Davenport called: “Burnsides, Magnus!” and the hat was barely touching the boy’s head before it shouted “GRYFFINDOR!” This time, the table on the far right exploded into cheers as Magnus rushed off to join them.

“Carrow, Jamie!”

“GRYFFINDOR!”

“Colten, Richard!”

“HUFFLEPUFF!”

Quite a few more names were called and then “Novak, Lucretia!” and Lucretia walked up to the stool carefully, her face a mask of calm before placing the hat on her head. It sat there for a moment before seemingly deciding on “SLYTHERIN!” and he watched as she stalked off to join Barry at their table. Taako was now properly tuned out as his panic at being sorted rose. He turned to face Lup as “Queens, Kravitz!” was sorted into Ravenclaw. Lup seemed to sense his discomfort, as she always could, and squeezed his hand which she hadn’t released since they’d gotten off the train.

“Hey, you’re gunna be ok, Koko,” she reassured him with an easy smile that held such conviction that Taako almost believed her. He didn’t have time to respond, though, as Davenport called out “Taaco, Lup!” and she took a deep breath before releasing hold of him and walking confidently up to the stool where she placed the hat on her head with a little wink to him. It felt like an eternity that the hat was on her head, but it eventually shouted to the whole Hall, “GRYFFINDOR!” 

Taako felt his stomach drop, but he cheers for her nonetheless. He didn’t think of himself as brave or courageous, how is he supposed to stay with her if he’s in a different House? He watches as she pulls the hat off her head and smiles to him real wide before bounding over to the Gryffindor table with Magnus. She really does belong with them, he realizes as Davenport calls “Taaco, Taako!”

A few sniggers rang out through the mostly silent Hall as Taako puts on his best confident expression, despite the trembling in his legs. He sits on the stool and places the hat on his head, and he waits. He’s honestly not sure what he expected, but it absolutely wasn’t for the hat to start talking to him.

“Hmm, curious, very curious,” the voice says in his ear, “my, my, what shall I do with you?”

 _Gryffindor! Put me in Gryffindor!_ He pleads, not really sure why he knew immediately that he could communicate with the hat by thinking to it, but then again, the thing was magical so something like that was bound to work.

“Gryffindor? Yes, that is a possibility, you certainly have plenty of courage for the House of the Lion. But no, that doesn’t quite fit.” Taako feels his mouth go dry. “Perhaps, Slytherin? I can sense a strong amount of cunning here, but Slytherin still doesn’t feel right. What’s this? A fierce wit and intense desire for knowledge, as well as a strong sense of self, though you’ve yet to discover that. Yes, I think Ravenclaw will do just nicely.” 

_No! Gryffindor! Put me in Gryffindor!_

“Trust me. RAVENCLAW!” The hat shouted the last word out loud and, as the Ravenclaw table erupted into cheers for their new House member, Taako swore he was dying. 

He stumbles to the Ravenclaw table, a smile plastered on his face but it feels brittle, hollow, like a very thin disguise that could be pierced through with only a feather. He won’t be with Lup. He’s never been apart from his sister in his whole life. She’s the only one he’s ever let himself break down and be vulnerable in front of, and now the only time he’ll get to see her is during lessons, if they even have any together.

The rest of dinner passes by in a blur. He’s not sure when the food appeared on the table or even if he ate. He’s unaware of following the Ravenclaw Prefect up to their dormitory after dinner was over. He’s unaware of the other person in his dorm with him as he collapses onto his bed that night, eyes wide open, and doesn’t find sleep until well after midnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! I hope your day/night is good and, if it’s not, I hope it gets better soon!! 💕💕


	4. Roommates and Legends

The following morning Lup awoke to a rush of mixed feelings. She was beyond excited to finally be here, at Hogwarts, after thinking it was all some crazy dream for the past week, but she was also incredibly confused. Surely she and Taako should’ve been in the same House, right? Sure, he wasn’t as brave as she was, but he had his own special brand of bravery that should have been enough to get him in Gryffindor, right? So why wasn’t he here with her? And, surely she had some Ravenclaw qualities, too, didn’t she? The Sorting Hat had even briefly considered placing her there! So why wasn’t she with Taako?

She shook her head and pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind for now, pulling her school robes out of her trunk and stepping into the large bathroom. The room did little to ebb her steadily growing excitement. It was massive - all gleaming stone, white and grey marble, and amazing metal work. There were four shower cubbies - one for each person in their dorm Lup guessed - high ceilings and glimmering gold accents everywhere. Lup entered one of the cubbies and showered quickly in order to be in and out before any of her new dorm-mates had risen. 

As she stepped back into the dorm, her roommates were, as she predicted, just rising. She didn’t know much about these other girls, just their names really, but she and Julia had been talking at the feast and she seemed alright so Lup supposed they wouldn’t be the worst people to spend the next seven years with. 

Jamie Carrow, a tall girl with jet black hair and striking blue eyes, muttered a sleepy “good morning” to Lup as she passed her to go take her own shower and Lup smiled in lieu of greeting. Julia and the other girl, Maria, were both still asleep and Lup debated waking them up briefly before doing it anyway. 

“C’mon, girls! Up and at em!” She yelled to the room at large, tossing a pillow at Julia and jumping up onto Maria’s bed. There were angry protests from both girls as Lup snickered, pulling Maria out from under her red and gold duvet, her ashy blonde hair a mess and protesting violently. Julia, however, roused without protest and began laughing at the scene that was playing out before her.

“Lup!!! Noooooo! Lemme- lemme go back to sleeeeeeep!!” Maria was complaining. 

“Nope!” Came Lup’s cheerful reply. “We start learning magic today and you’re excited about it! So c’mon! Let’s go get breakfast!”

“No, I’ve decided I’m no longer excited,” Maria announced, wrenching her arm out of Lup’s grasp and diving back onto her bed, “I only care about sleeping now.” 

Jamie was out of the shower by the time Lup and Julia together had managed to get Maria into her school robes and, a moment later, the four of them were bouncing down the stairs and toward the Great Hall for breakfast. It was weird, not starting her day with Taako immediately by her side, weird but not entirely unpleasant. It wasn’t that she was happy he wasn’t with her, quite the opposite, actually, it was just a change of pace and something she assumed she’d have to get used to. 

As the girls traversed the long corridors, trying to remember how to get back to the Great Hall by attempting to retrace their steps from the night prior, the ran into Magnus, who was helping a small read headed Ravenclaw girl who appeared to have tripped and dropped her things. Lup felt a smile spread on her face at the sight and she skipped over to help collect the girls belongings. The girl thanked them profusely and hurried off once she had all her things back. 

“Hey Mags! How ya doin’ this morning?” She asked, voice cheerful and full of energy as it often was in the mornings. Magnus smiled back at her just as wide. 

“Im feeling ready to learn some magic!” He announced and Jamie cheered while Julia yelled “Hell yeah!” And the five of them wandered again in the direction of the great hall. 

Lup had always known how to read people. It was a skill that came in handy with her father and then with the kids at the orphanage, and Lup liked Magnus. He was full of energy and always so positive, almost like nothing could bring him down. She supposed he must have thought that way too, after all he had no idea how things in the world really worked, so caught up in his eleven year old naivety, only concerned about magic and making friends. Lup supposed she couldn’t really blame him, and she did appreciate having someone besides her being so optimistic so consistently. She wished she could be as carefree as those around her, but circumstances being what they were, that was pretty much impossible. It was all she could do to put on a smile.

The Gryffindor table in the Great Hall was practically groaning under the weight of all the food on it by the time their little group arrived to breakfast. Oat meal and toast and cereal and danishes and so many other breakfast foods filled Lup’s vision and nose and she had never seen so much food in her life! She’d have to see if her and Taako could try to replicate some of these at one point. 

As she filled her plate, the conversation around the table turned again to classes (Marie must have forgotten how tired she was because she was chatting with just as much enthusiasm as the rest of them). Lup, herself, was struggling to contain her excited anticipation, thrilled by the knowledge that she’d actually be learning magic! Eventually one of the Prefects, a lanky boy named Vinney, started handing them their time tables. Lup was very pleased to find that Gryffindor shared a class with Ravenclaw first thing after breakfast. She couldn’t wait to catch Taako up on everything that had happened since their sorting last night. 

She walked with her new friends to Transfiguration after breakfast and made sure to keep the seat next to her open for her brother when he got to class. Ravenclaw was small this year, she’d heard: only two boys and five girls, so she was interested to see what Taako thought of them all, he wasn’t one to hold back when giving his opinion on something. 

A minute later, Taako arrived to the classroom (by himself, Lup notes), and once he spotted her, he practically threw himself into the open seat next to her. She knew he wouldn’t be taking their separation great, but she didn’t expect the torrent of frantic “I’m sorry!”s that fell from his mouth in a rushed whisper. 

“Hey, hey, it’s ok, Ko,” she assured him, smiling wide and mussing up his hair. She knew she should be doing something more to placate his panic but she just wasn’t sure what that was. “We’re gunna have loads of classes together, and we can eat together too! Oh! Hey! I can give you the passwords to our common room too and we can hang out there! I’m sure nobody would care,” she said instead, steadily growing more and more excited as the ideas flooded her. Taako smiled at this and Lup is relieved, if he’s smiling so openly like that he must be feeling at least a little better. “Oh yeah!” Lup continues as the thought comes to her, “the stairs didn’t turn to a slide! They let me in! And I have an appointment with the healer, Madame Kerns, tomorrow!”

Taako is beaming now, and he’s just about to say something more when Professor Davenport calls for their attention from the front of the room. They’re learning ‘reparo’, the spell to mend broken objects, Lup finds it boring, she’d much rather be learning something useful in combat, but Taako seems interested so that’s enough for her. 

The lesson is pretty uneventful until that small red headed Ravenclaw girl from this morning raises her hand. Davenport regards her for a moment before saying “yes, miss Kemp?” in his slightly squeaky voice. 

“Sorry, sir,” the girl begins, “only, Nora and I were wondering if you could tell us a bit about the Grand Relics? I’d read about them in Hogwarts: A History, but it wasn’t very detailed.”

This question draws the attention of most of the class, and silence falls as people stop practicing the spell. Davenport, seeming to assume that they’d get nothing done until he told the story, sighs and begins to explain. 

“Long ago, according to legend, there were seven great wizards, all of whom with an abundance of ambition and precious little to do with it. They harnessed their magic into seven items of immense power and, in their hubris, set them out into the world. These items were quested after and used for great destruction from the second they were sent out.

There’s the Animous Bell, an item of unknown use as it never showed itself in all the time that these items were sent out. There’s the Occulous, an item that can create any item the user desires and will make it real, whether that be a giant cheese danish or a massive black hole. The Temporal Chalice, a cup that can rewrite time, but, as far as we know, has never demonstrated this capability. The Gaia Sash, a powerful tool with the capability of harnessing control over nature. The Bulwark Staff, used for the defence and protection of these seven great wizards. And, finally, the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet and the Philosopher's Stone. One never seen very far from where the other is, and both possessing the power of great destruction and devastation. 

Eventually, these seven wizards realized their mistake in putting these objects into the world when another powerful sorcerer by name of The Hunger quested after these objects as well. So these wizards gathered their relics and hid them away where they hoped they would never be found. 

This is, of course, only a legend. No one knows for sure if such a thing ever happened or if such items even really exist, but you would do well to not dwell too much on this matter. Back to work!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! I hope the rest of your day is good and gets better! 💕💕


	5. A Cunning Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Imagine posting chapters on time ahahah

Over the course of the next few weeks, Taako found himself falling into a routine of sorts. He would wake early, before his roommate had a chance to properly rise, and shower. It wasn’t that he didn’t _like_ this Queens bloke, the guy was ok. He was quiet and generally kept to himself, so it wasn't like he made it hard for Taako to avoid him. And, no, Taako wasn’t avoiding the one person who he was going to be sharing a dorm with for the next seven years because people scared him. People didn’t scare him, not even slightly, that would be stupid. He was just cautious with who he trusted. That was all it was. 

He’d leave for breakfast soon after he showered but make a detour to stop next to the portrait of the Fat Lady, and wait for Lup to come out. When Lup did make an appearance, she was usually accompanied by Magnus or Julia or some other of her fellow Gryffindors. Taako didn’t mind either of the Gryffindors, Magnus was loud, cheerful and buoyant while Julia was kind, even tempered and had a truly enchanting sense of humor. Taako liked these people, but he wasn’t about to admit it, not even to Lup, who could tell how he felt anyway so he didn’t even need to tell her, really.

They’d go down to breakfast after that, and Taako would sit at the Gryffindor table with his sister and her friends (he considered them to be his friends too but, again, he wasn’t going to admit that to anyone). The first few times he had sat with them a few of the older students sent him odd and questioning glances but he ignored them, just glad he wasn’t as separate from Lup as he feared. She gave him the password to her common room just as she said she would, and he would do homework with her and their friends. He guessed the people in Lup’s House were slowly beginning to accept his presence too, because no one shot him a second glance anymore. 

They’d go to class after breakfast, and sometimes Taako would have to part from his sister but he found that it wasn’t so bothersome or scary as he had originally anticipated. And he liked learning anyway, so that took his mind off the absence of his other half for as long as he was without her. His homework kept him busy, too, and as much as he got done with Lup and Magnus and Julia, there was still so much that he had to complete on his own. And that’s where Taako was currently, holed up in a quieter alcove in his common room the week before Halloween, his potions book open in front of him and a half finished essay weighted down by an inkwell and his quill between his teeth.

The essay was on the properties of moonstone in potion making, and it was incredibly boring, but he had to do it. He was just about to jot down another note when the sound of the common room door opening caught his attention ever so slightly. He took down the note, half listening to the new bout of commotion in the room beyond until a voice he knew only too well caught his attention.

“-in here?” Came Lup’s voice, loud and urgent. “Taako!” She called again and Taako sighed and poked his head out of the alcove again. He met Lup’s eye and a grin spread across her face. “Taako!” She said again, this time delight laced through every word. “C’mon! Got something to tell you!” she ran over and grabbed his wrist, ignoring his protests that he had to finish his essay and how did you even get in here? She didn’t answer any of his questions as she pulled him out of his common room and dragged him through the mostly empty corridors of the castle and eventually into an old, empty classroom. She’s practically buzzing with excitement and anticipation as she closes the door behind them both.

“All right, Lu, out with it. What’s going on?” He asks, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth and his arms crossed over his chest.

“Not yet!” She cheers, shaking her head, “gotta wait!”

“Wait? For what?”

“Mags and Julia went to go grab Barry and Lucretia. We gotta wait ‘til they get here!” She insisted, and so that’s what they did. Taako sat on a spare desk and drew his knees up to his chest, wondering what on earth Lup was so excited about. It must have been something super cool because the only other time he’d seen her this happy was when she switched her pronouns Summer before last.

They didn’t have to wait terribly long because only a moment later the four other first years appeared again inside the room with them. Barry gave Taako and Lup a nervous wave and Lucretia offered them both a careful smile. And Lup was practically bouncing on her toes as the two Slytherins sat next to Taako and the three Gryffindors, all wearing identical pumpkin grins, faced the small group. It seemed that Barry and Lucretia had been absorbed into their little friend group too, Taako would sit with them during lessons he shared with the Slytherins and it seemed Lup was unwilling to distance herself from the first two wizards they met that _weren’t_ Killian or Anne. That kind of made sense, Taako supposed, because while the two of them didn’t have a habit of making friends, both of them found it hard to get rid of those who showed them even a scrap of kindness.

“Ok!” Julia started, clasping her hands together with a clap and nearly jumping in her excitement. “Earlier-”

“-An hour ago.”

“Yes, thank you Magnus for that clarification. Anyway, earlier, when Lup, Magnus and I were doing some research in the library for Defense Against the Dark Arts we found something that we thought was really cool and that we thought we should tell you all about.” As Julia spoke, Taako found himself watching the reactions of those around him. Barry still fidgeted nervously, but Taako saw the way his eyes showed with interest and a quieter version of that same excited anticipation that coursed through all three Gryffindors. Lucretia looked apprehensive and calculating. She was worrying the hem of her sleeve between her fingers and her lips were slightly pursed. All three Griffindors wore the same pumpkin grins, but where Lup was buzzing with whatever this exciting news was, Magnus seemed like he was ready to punch something out of joy and Julia bounced on her toes.

“Do you remember during our first Transfiguration lesson?” Lup asked, the question aimed at Taako as the other two next to him weren’t in that class. “When Davenport told us about the Grand Relic legend?” Taako nodded, unsure of where this conversation was headed but with anxiety slowly bubbling in his gut like a potion set to brew. “Well,” she went on, looking to Julia and Magnus to continue.

“We found a book with more information on each relic! Davenport said it was only a legend, but we found real records of them out in the world!” Magnus continued for Lup, and there was something more to this behind his eyes and behind his smile. Lup wouldn’t have pulled him out of his common room so close to curfew just to tell him something she could’ve easily told him at breakfast the next day. He just didn’t know what it was yet, and, frankly, he was kind of nervous to find out.

“They’re real?” Lucretia asked, uncertainty woven into every letter. She was smart, she must have also sensed some ulterior motive to this impromptu meeting and it must have clicked, because something flashed in her eyes and her expression morphed into one of shock. “No…” she said, quieter this time, as a hand moved up to cover her mouth.

Taako still didn’t know what was going on, and he glanced at Barry hoping to find his confusion mirrored on the cubby boy’s face, but was mildly baffled to see the same realization that had passed over Lucretia pass over him too. Frustrated, Taako shook his head and said, carefully: “I still don’t understand, gunna have to shed some light over here.” Apparently, Lup was dying to say their plan out loud because she beamed at Taako’s question. Taako doesn’t know how he’s supposed to feel at what she tells him next.

“We want to find the relics and destroy them.”


End file.
